Offers highway stop & shop

U.S. 12

August 10, 2008|By LOU MUMFORD Tribune Staff Writer

An $8 tent, $2 television set and free wooden chair were only some of the multitude of items available Saturday on U.S. 12, where the annual U.S. 12 Heritage Trail Garage Sale was going hot and heavy. The attraction was too much for Bev Schmidt to resist. "I stopped on my way to South Bend. I've got so much stuff at home I try to stay away'' from garage sales, the Three Oaks resident said as she browsed through clothing and other goods at a residence on the south side of 12, a little west of Mayflower Road between Niles and Buchanan. Schmidt couldn't immediately recall her biggest bargain at a garage sale but her daughter, Maureen Lindsay, of St. Joseph, had no trouble recalling her own steal. "I got this cool halter top for $2 ... and a kitchen set for my daughter,'' she said. Across the highway where the South (Berrien) County Democrats had set up shop, Jess Minks, the South County chairman, stood amid hundreds of items donated by 20 to 25 party supporters. He smiled, glancing toward an equally pleased customer who had just made the leap from browser to buyer. "That gentleman just bought a $60 cable for a quarter,'' he said. Actually, the price was 50 cents, said Dowagiac's Robert Lavanway. Still, he knew a bargain when he saw it, ending up with four such cables that set him back all of $2. "It's a 10-foot cable to hook a laptop (computer) up to your TV,'' he said. "He (Minks) practically paid me to take them.'' Minks said this marks the fourth year his organization has participated in the annual garage-sale event on the nearly 200-mile stretch of highway, running from New Buffalo and points beyond to Detroit. He said it's not uncommon to find customers from as far as Chicago, although those shoppers weren't as prevalent Friday and Saturday as in past years. "I've noticed fewer folks. It's a little slower this year,'' he said, guessing the slow economy and high gas prices may be having an impact even on garage sales. Minks said he expected to make about $400 this weekend to aid party causes. Items left over after Saturday will be donated to Goodwill, he said. Although the event technically is a three-day observance -- Friday, Saturday and today -- several garage-sale operators said they planned to close after Saturday's sales. Farther west on 12 near Bakertown Road , southwest of Buchanan, South Bend resident Crystal Hamel stood guard over a family garage sale featuring the $2 television set and free chair. Business was good, she said, adding it also was good Friday to the extent that family members kept it open until after 8 p.m. Asked to name her biggest bargain, she said that would apply to everything. "Make an offer and it's yours,'' she said. At the garage-sale site frequented by Schmidt and Lindsay, Jill and John Schultz browsed for items like they do every Saturday when they search out garage sales. Jill said the couple live in Trail Creek, near Michigan City, and are veterans of the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail attraction. Her most memorable garage-sale purchase was an antique clock, she said. She paid $3 for it, she said, and determined later the item was worth nearly $800. "It's an old wind-up ... in mint condition. It's beautiful,'' she said. She said she had bought "a few things'' Saturday, and John had bought a smoker grill for $10. Clutching a plastic container for a home pond/waterfall display, John was asked its price. "They want $3 but I'm going to get it for $2,'' he said. He did. Staff writer Lou Mumford: lmumford@sbtinfo.com (269) 687-7002